The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Datexe2x80x99.
The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new cut Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable colors and good form and substance.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventor in April, 1997, in Salinas, Calif., of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Preludio, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as 3499, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent.
The cultivar Date was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla., in March, 1998. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence color and good form and substance.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since June, 1998, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Date have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Datexe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Datexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright cut Chrysanthemum that can be grown as a disbud or as a natural spray.
2. Large quilled decorative-type inflorescences that are about 12.3 cm in diameter when grown as a disbud and about 9.3 cm in diameter when grown as a natural spray.
3. Attractive purple-colored inflorescences.
4. Response time about 62 days when grown as a disbud and about 68 to 70 days when grown as a natural spray.
5. Dark green foliage.
6. Strong and thick stems.
7. Excellent postproduction longevity with inflorescences maintaining good substance and color for at least three weeks in an interior environment.
Compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Preludio, plants of the new Chrysanthemum produce heavier flowering stems. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Preludio differ in ray floret form as ray florets of the cultivar Preludio are spooned and have small hooks at the apex.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the male parent, the seedling selection identified as code number 3499, differ in inflorescence form as inflorescences of the male parent are spooned daisy-types with three to four rows of ray florets and numerous disc florets. In addition, inflorescences of plants of the male parent are bright yellow in color.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Dance, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,941. However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Madrid, Cundinamarca, Colombia, South America, plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more vigorous, produce heavier flowering stems, have larger inflorescences and have darker ray floret coloration than plants of the cultivar Dance.